Now day, there are various mounting devices in prior art for mounting cell phone to vehicle windshield, dash board or vent register. Among vent mounting devices, there are various means for attaching the device to louver of vent register. The simplest one is by adopting a clip at the back of a magnetic plate or bracket, where cell phone is mounted to, for mounting the device to louver by frictional force. Such device suffers a major drawback of mounting cell phone immediately before vent register, and causing air flow to be substantially blocked by cell phone. Another drawback is that cell phone may get over heated when hot vent air is turned on. Can an extension arm be added to such device for remotely mounting cell phone without blocking air flow?
Author of present invention finds the answer is no for the following reasons. From a mechanics point of view, if cell phone is mounted at a greater distance from vent register, the weight of cell phone could generate a greater rotational moment (=weight×distance) to rotate the louver or the device, and generate a greater pulling force to pull the device out of louver. By considering the fact that the device is attached to louver simply by frictional force, it becomes obvious that the device must mount cell phone immediately before vent register to avoid the device from being pulled out of louver, and also avoid the rotational and swivel movements of the device.
Some vent mounting devices of prior art adopt a stronger spring-activated compression clip for attaching the device to louver, which may prevent the device from being pulled out of louver, but the device still needs to be mounted immediately before vent register in order to avoid rotational and swivel movements of the device. Therefore, the device still suffers the drawback of mounting cell phone immediately before vent register, and causing air flow to be substantially blocked by cell phone.
Some vent mounting devices of prior art adopt a more complicated mechanism for attaching the device to louver. In which, an anchor plate is fixedly connected a base, a U hook is provided at the anchor plate, and a spring-activated slider is slidably engaged to anchor plate. The device is attached to louver by holding and pulling slider against spring force toward the base while engaging U hook to the rear edge of louver, and then releasing slider to allow slider to press against louver by spring force. Because the slider is a small part located immediately behind the base, “holding and pulling slider against spring force toward the base while engaging U hook to the rear edge of louver” can be a difficult and troublesome task for user. Even though the U hook provides a positive means to prevent the device from being pulled out of louver, but the device still needs to be mounted immediately before vent register to avoid rotational and swivel movements of the device. As a result, the device still suffers the drawback of mounting cell phone immediately before vent register, and causing air flow to be substantially blocked by cell phone.
Therefore, there is still a need for a vent mounting device that provides means for attaching and interlocking the device to louver of vent register, preventing rotational and swivel movements of the device, and remotely mounting cell phone without blocking air flow. Furthermore, there is also a need for a universal vent mounting device for mounting the device to either a horizontal or vertical louver of vent register.
The vent mounting device of present invention adopts a tripod for remotely mounting cell phone to vehicle vent register without blocking air flow. A rotatable U hook is connected to one leg (i.e. the third leg) of the tripod. Tripod's legs are made of known construction to permit bending their shapes, and retaining the shapes after being bent. When tripod is mounted to vent register, U hook is engaged to the rear edge of either a horizontal or vertical louver of vent register, and the bottom ends of first and second legs are engaged to the surface area outside of vent register, below U hook and at a sufficient distance apart, for supporting the tripod and preventing rotational and swivel movements of the tripod. U hook is also slidable along the third leg of tripod to permit the bottom end of third leg being engaged to the front edge of louver while U hook being engaged to the rear edge of louver. As a result, tripod is provided with a positive means for interlocking with both front and rear edges of louver, and preventing the tripod from being pulled out of louver when it is subjected to an external force, particularly a G force (i.e. gravity force) caused by driving vehicle on a bumpy road. The mounting device of present invention has successfully passed actual road tests, in which, the tripod is subjected to a weight load substantially greater than the weight of cell phone while the vehicle is driven under extremely accelerating speeds and extremely bumpy road conditions.